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J. L- STEWART. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ILLUMINATING 0B HEATING GAS. Patented July 31, 1883.

INVENTOR (No Mod'l.)

' WITNESSES;

,2 a vertically erected and preferably cylindri- UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JoHN L. srnwnn'r, or "PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ILLUMINATlNG QR HEATINGGAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of nater ment No. 282,399, dated July 31, 1883.

Application filed January 15, 1883. (No model.) I

To all whomit may concern Be it known that I, JOHN LJSTEWART, of the city and county of Philadelphia,and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for Produ'cing Illu ininating or HeatingGas, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention. relates to apparatus for pro ducing hydrocarbon and fuel gas for heating and illuminating purposes.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in central vertical longitudinal sectional elevation an apparatus conveniently em bodying my improvements and designed for the carryingout of my process; Fig. 2, a sec tional plan, taken on a horizontal plane projected on the dotted line a a of Fig. l, of the air-distributer which communicates with the mixing-chamber; and Fig. 3, a similar view, on the line b b of Fig. 1, of the gas-superheater. Similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts. p

In the accompanying drawings, A represents form hollow casing composed of fire-brick or other suitable refractory substance, preferablyincased in an envelope, B, ofsheet-iron. Within the hollow interior of this casing are contained the gas-generator or combustionchamber, the mixing-chamber, the gas su'p'erheater, and the retort within which'the liquid hydrocarbons are vaporized, whilevarious con: nections for steam, air, and the liquid hydro carbons are applied to it, as are also other con nections hereinafter more fully described.

0 is the gas-generator, located in the lower portion of thec'asingand formed by a cylin driform water-j acket, 1), set within the brick-- work or masonry of the casing, and provided with-a water-inlet, (I, through which water is forced intothe jacket. The jacket is at its upperextremityiin communication with the mixing-chamber, which-is formed within the casing immediately below the superheater and above the gas-generator, and at its lower extremityflis conformed into or adapted to inclose a fire-box, upon which, as, a base, the charge within.the'generator'rests, and through a discharging-port, F, communicating with which said charge can be withdrawn.

Gare passages leadingfrom the water-jacket to the water-space of the boiler, hereinafter described, and permitting of free circulation of heated water between the two and the generation of steam.

g are steam-inlets opening within the inte rior of the water-jacket and designed for the introduction of steam to the charge. They are fed from a steam-supply'pipe, 9, leading from the mag or steam-drum, as hereinafter described.

H is the mixing-chamber in which the airblast is superheated and in which the connnixture and fixing of the gases take place, it being, as stated, above the water-jacket of the generator and conveniently inclosed as to its the masonry of the casing about the mixingchamber, and'communicating with the latter disposed tuyeres j.

at a point below the arch bv means of radially K is an air-supply pipe, supposed in communication with any suitable'fan or other blastproducing device, and opening into the airdistributer and also into the gas-generator at a point or points below the charge.

L is a retort vertically erected concentrically within the sup erheater, and conveniently rested upon' the arch which divides the miX- ing chamber from. said superheater. It is preferably made of fire-clay lined with iron,

and is providedwith a cover, Z, adapted to be removed to enable the burning out of any I fixed carbon should the latter collect upon the inside of the retort, the burning out being effected at the time when the generator is being heated up. The retort is internally p rovided with broken fire-brick P or other refractory substances, or, if desired,with downwardly-inclinedprojections, ledges, or kindred contrivances, the office of which is to retard the too rapid descent of the atomized liquid hydrocarbons in order that they may be .con-

IOO

verted into vapor before reaching the dis- I wet or dry steam. By the application of the charging orifice or outlet at the bottom of the I retort, and thereby to prevent the decomposition of a portion of the rich hydrocarbons into fixed carbon by the falling of said hydrocarbons in a liquid condition into the body of incandescent carbon in the, generator below.

Z is an inlet for the oils or liquid hydrocarbon, which is arranged to open. into the upper portion of the retort at a point below the retort-cover, and which is formed and directed in such manner as to occasion the atomizing of the oils at the top of the retort.

M is the gas-superheater, which is preferably a cylindriform chamber formed in the upper portion of the casing, which at such portion is best enlarged, as shown, concentrically around the retort above the supportingarch. It has communication with the smokespace of the steam-boiler by means of the lateral conduit m, and is closed at the top by a gas-tight valve or manhole, N, of any suita ble construction, and placed in line below a stack or funnel, n. The ofiice of the superheating-chamber, as such, in the fixing of the gases is wellunderstood.

O is a vertical boiler erected in convenient proximity to the-casing above described, and connected in fixed relation thereto by means of the above described conduit or, leading from the superheater into its smoke-space, and by means of the passages G, leading from the waterjacket of the generator into its water-space. This boiler conveniently con tains an upper smoke-chamber, 0, and a lower smoke-chamber, 0*, which are connected by a series of vertical smoke-tubes, 0. The conduit m, leading from the superheater, communicates with. the upper smoke chamber, and a dischargeconduit, P, leads from the lower smoke-chamber to the wash-box hereinafter described. At its upper end the boiler is provided with a safety-valve or manhole, o, in line below a stack, M.

R R are two minor steam-drums communicating with the water-space of the boiler at the upper portion thereof, and for convenience disposed upon opposite sides of the boiler, and suitably bracketed or supported therefrom. They both communicate with a major steam-drum, R suitably supported trans versely upon said'minor drums and acting as a steamreservoir. These drums are suitably supplied with gages, safety-valves, and other common contrivances.

Q is a superheating-worm coiled in the upper smoke-chamber of the boiler, communicating at one .extremitywith the major steamdrum and at the other extremity with a pipe, 0', leading to the steam-supply pipe 9, which latter pipe is also, if desired, in communication with and fed from the major steam-drum. This arrangement of worm and connectingpipes can be modified at will, that arrangement which I have represented being, however, convenient. By the provision of suitable cocks the generator can be fed either with worm I supply superheated steam through the steaminlets g, which open within the interior of the water-jacket, to the charge in the generator. As will be readily understood, the water heated in the waterjacket circulates throughout the water-space of the boiler, and aids in the generation of the steain,which, 'as stated, is introduced to the charge, while first the waste heat and then the highly-heated gases from the superhcater pass through the conduit m to the upper smoke-chamber of the boiler, and thence pass through the smoketubcs to the lower chamber, and pass out through the discharge-conduit P, in so doing having entered at the top of the boiler, where the water is hottest, and left at the bottom, where the water is coolest, thereby keeping up a continuous generation of steam and utilizing nearly all the heat from the generator.

S is a wash-box of any preferred construe tion, vertically above which is disposed a branch conduit, 8, centrally into which opens the discharge-conduit P from the boiler. The upper extremity of this branch conduit opens in line below a stack, 8, and is controlled by a valve, 8X, while the lower extremity opens below the level of the liquid in the wash-box. The wash-box communicates through an exit, T, with a scrubber, U, of any preferred construction, from out of which the gas is conducted to the purifiers and gas-holder through a second exit, a. That construction of the wash-box and scrubber represented is convenient. Other forms of devices for similar purposes may, however, be substituted in their stead. A

The valves upon the top of the superheater,

boiler, and branch conduit all act both as man-" the branch conduit into the wash-box and off through the scrubber and purifiers to the gasholder.

Having now described a form of apparatus conveniently embodying and effectuating my invention, the operation of that apparatus is as follows: 'I first fill the water-jacket and boiler with water up to the water-line in the minor steam-drums, then open the valve s upon the branch conduit 8, and then, keeping the boiler and superheater valves closed, charge the generator with coal or other desired carbonaceous material through the charging-chute I, and fire the same. The blast of air is then, under suitable regulation, admitted both into the.

bottom of the generator and through the airdistributer into, the mixing-chamber. During this period of the Operation, the waste gases generated pass through the boiler, generate steam, and escape through the valve s at the top of the branch conduit. As soon as the generator is filled with incandescent carbon, both the superheater and retort heated to the proper temperature and the steam in the boiler raised to the proper pressure, I shut off the air-blast and close the valve s of the branch conduit, and at the same time turn 011 the steam into the incandescent carbon in the generator, and admit the liquid hydrocarbons under pressure into the top of the retort. The liquid hydrocarbonsare atomized at the moment of their entrance into the highly-heated retort, and the atomized particles descend .through the retort, and are finally converted into vapor without coming into contact with the incandpscent carbon or other highly-heated substance 111 the generator, and said vapors,en-

tering the mixing-chamber, therein commingle with the gases escaping from the generator from the decomposition of the steam in its passage through the body of incandescent carbon, and after said commixture in the mixingchamber pass up through the superheater, are

are stored for distribution.

The above operation is to be repeated as a whole until the desired quantity of gas has been generated. In said operation, as will be readily understood, both the waste heat and the highly-heated gases from the generator are in turn caused to pass through the same chambers and passage-ways to the discharge-conduit, and are there either discharged by the opening ofitsvalve or forced through the wa ter in the wash-box by its closure. In the passage they are also both first caused to enter the boiler at the top,where the water is the hottest, and to leave it where the water is coolest. The air-blast, encountering the brickwork of the air-distributer and mixing-chamber, becomes superheated in'said mixing-chamber, and, mixing with the partially-decomposed hydrocarbon gases from the generator,

insures their more perfect combustion.

commingle with the gas in the mixing-chant her and in their passage through the superheater. This. is due to the fact that the re tort, being heated externally, cannot become so highly heated in its interior as to occasion the decomposition of said hydrocarbon vapors in their passage through it.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1., Inan apparatus for producing heating and illuminating gas, the generator provided with awater-jacket and supply-pipes, in combination with the superheating and fixing chamber having one or more eduction-pipes, and the central vertical retort, open at the bottom, having an oil-inlet pipe near the top and containing suitably disposed and refractory material, whereby oil may be vaporized by' passage over therefractory material and mixed with gas rising from the generator, and the mixture converted into a fixed gas in the superheating-chamber, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for producing heating and illuminating gas, the generator provided with a water-jacket and supply-pipes for air and steam, in combination with the superheatingand fixing chamber having an oilvaporizing retort, the steam-boiler, a pipe connecting the smoke-flue thereof with the superheater, and pipes connecting the water-space of the boiler with the water-jacket of the generator, as and for the purpose described.

3. In an apparatus for producing heating and illuminating gas, in combination, a gasgenerating chamber provided with an incl0sing water-jacket and a steanrboiler, the smoke- I fines of which at one extremity communicate with said generating-chamber and at the other extremity with a discharge-conduit, and the water-space of which communicates with said water-jacket, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 10th day of January, A. D. 1883.

RANDAL MORGAN, J. BONSALL TAYLOR. 

